The Learning Ideas Conference

What The Learning Ideas Conference does

The Learning Ideas Conference (TLIC) is an annual international, multidisciplinary conference focused on innovations in learning and technology for workplace and higher education settings. Founded in 2008 as the International Conference on E-Learning in the Workplace (ICELW) at Columbia University, the event was rebranded in 2021 to reflect a broader scope spanning workplace learning, higher education, computer science, cognitive science, game design, UX, VR/AR/XR, management, and the arts and humanities. It is co-organized by two U.S. corporations — International E-Learning Association, Inc. and Kaleidoscope Learning, Inc. — with Kaleidoscope Learning's President and CEO, Dr. David Guralnick, serving as founder and Conference Chair.

The conference operates on a hybrid model combining in-person attendance in New York with global online participation. Its 2026 program features keynote talks, a panel discussion, and over 120 parallel sessions including the IGIP Special Session on engineering pedagogy. Peer-reviewed proceedings are published annually by Springer in book and ebook formats, with an archive dating back to 2008. A complementary offering, 'The Art & Science of Learning' podcast hosted by Dr. Kinga Petrovai, extends the conference's content reach through year-round interviews with speakers and learning experts.

The business model centers on registration-based revenue across three attendee tiers — Participant ($695+), Speaker ($595+), and Full-Time Student ($345+) — with group discounts available for organizations registering multiple participants. Target segments include academic researchers, learning and development professionals, university faculty, UX designers, and technologists, with marketing driven by a blog, podcast, email newsletter, testimonials, and the annual conference proceedings. The organization employs approximately 7 people and is privately held with no disclosed external investment.

Name

The Learning Ideas Conference

Legal name

The Learning Ideas Conference

Website

https://learningideasconf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Learning Ideas Conference is an annual international, multidisciplinary hybrid conference held in New York and online, bringing together researchers, L&D professionals, university faculty, and technologists to discuss innovations in learning and technology for workplace and higher education, with peer-reviewed proceedings published by Springer.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Conferences and Events

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic & Scientific Conferences (MPAGAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hybrid Conferences & Conventions (In-Person + Streamed) (MPAGAOAC), Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management (THAHACAM)

Keywords

• Academic conference services
• E-learning events
• Workplace learning symposium
• Hybrid conference platform
• Education technology conferences

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Conference Registration: Registration fees for conference attendance in three tiers: Participant (from $695), Speaker (from $595), and Full-Time Student (from $345). Includes access to all conference sessions, recordings, and conference dinner for eligible attendees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

An annual international and multidisciplinary hybrid conference focused on innovations in learning and technology for workplace and higher education. The conference features keynote talks, panel discussions, and over 120 parallel sessions across multiple tracks including IGIP Special Sessions, with registration tiers for participants, speakers, and full-time students. Conference proceedings are peer-reviewed and published by Springer, and a complementary podcast extends the conference content year-round.

Product overview

The Learning Ideas Conference is an annual hybrid conference focused on innovations in learning and technology for workplace and higher education. The core offering is the annual conference event, available in both in-person (New York) and online formats, with registration tiers for general participants, speakers, and full-time students. A complementary offering is the 'The Art & Science of Learning' podcast, which extends the conference's content through interviews with speakers and experts. The conference was known as ICELW (International Conference on E-Learning in the Workplace) from 2008-2020 before rebranding as The Learning Ideas Conference in 2021.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Learning Ideas Conference (TLIC) An annual international and multidisciplinary hybrid conference focused on innovations in learning and technology for workplace and higher education. The conference features keynote talks, a panel discussion, and over 120 parallel sessions across multiple tracks including IGIP Special Sessions. Available in-person in New York and online, with registration tiers for participants ($695+), speakers ($595+), and full-time students ($345+). Conference proceedings are peer-reviewed and published by Springer in book and ebook formats.
• The Art & Science of Learning Podcast A podcast series that extends the conference's content year-round through interviews with learning experts, conference speakers, and industry leaders. It covers emerging trends and innovations in higher education and workplace learning, reaching audiences beyond the annual conference event.

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• International E-Learning Association (IELA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of two organizing entities for The Learning Ideas Conference. The International E-Learning Association, Inc. co-organizes the annual conference and receives access to personal data submitted by participants. Conference proceedings are published under the IELA umbrella.
• Kaleidoscope LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConference founded by David Guralnick, Ph.D., President and CEO of Kaleidoscope Learning. Kaleidoscope Learning co-organizes the conference along with IELA. David Guralnick serves as Conference Chair.
• CTI (Conference and Institutes)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as providing support to the conference. Appears as a supporting organization.
• SpringercoreOthersAcademic publisher for conference proceedings. Publishes annual conference proceedings in both book and ebook formats. Historical proceedings from 2008-2025 available through Springer.
• IGIP (International Society for Engineering Pedagogy)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIGIP Special Session is a dedicated track within the conference program, featuring specialized sessions on engineering pedagogy and related topics. IGIP is an international society focused on engineering education.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• EDUCAUSE Annual Conference: Premier higher-education technology conference drawing tens of thousands of attendees annually. Comparable because it serves university faculty, IT leaders, and learning technologists — a core segment of TLIC — but operates as a much larger, broader higher-ed tech event.
• ATD International Conference & Exposition: Annual flagship event of the Association for Talent Development covering workplace learning, L&D, and talent management. Comparable because TLIC's L&D-professional audience overlaps directly with ATD's core attendee base, though ATD operates at significantly larger scale as the broad incumbent in the space.
• ISTE (now ISTELive) Conference: Major international conference for educators focused on edtech and instructional technology. Comparable because it serves K-12 and higher-ed faculty interested in technology-enabled teaching — a subset of TLIC's audience — but at significantly larger scale and with a K-12 emphasis.
• ICDE World Conference: International Council for Open and Distance Education's flagship global conference on open, online, and flexible learning. Comparable scholarly and practitioner audience interested in technology-enabled learning, though broader in scope and rotating internationally.

Direct peers

• DevLearn Conference (The Learning Guild): Major L&D and e-learning practitioner conference run by The Learning Guild. Directly comparable because it targets workplace learning professionals, instructional designers, and learning technologists — the same primary audience as TLIC — with a strong focus on emerging learning technologies.
• AECT International Convention: Annual convention of the Association for Educational Communications and Technologies covering instructional design, educational technology, and learning sciences. Comparable scholarly focus and audience overlap with TLIC's academic-leaning attendees, particularly around learning technology research.
• Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Conferences: Annual and regional conferences focused on online, blended, and digital learning in higher education. Directly comparable target audience (higher-ed faculty, instructional designers, online learning researchers) and topical overlap with TLIC's learning-and-technology focus.
• E-Learn (Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education): Annual conference on e-learning and online education hosted by AACE. Directly comparable audience (researchers, instructional designers, technologists) and conference structure (proceedings, parallel sessions, hybrid elements).
• ICEM / International Conference on Educational Media: International academic conference on educational media and technology research. Directly comparable as a peer-reviewed venue for learning-technology research with overlapping scholarly audience to TLIC.

Regional players

• Learning Technologies (London): Leading European L&D and learning technology conference held annually in London. Comparable audience (L&D professionals, learning technologists) and topical overlap with TLIC, but anchored in EMEA rather than North America.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-learning-ideas-conference

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Learning Ideas Conference